A look inside the renovated Basketball Hall of Fame

Date: 4/18/2022

SPRINGFIELD – Standing tall as a round symbol of innovation within Springfield, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame remains a cultural mainstay of the Western Massachusetts area. The hall, which is now in its third location after being established on the campus of Springfield College, created its current home at 1000 Hall of Fame Ave. in 2002.

The basketball museum offers visitors an encyclopedia of the sport’s well-documented history, incorporating treasured artifacts that range from Shaquille O’Neal’s larger-than-life shoes to coach Pat Riley’s gold-minted National Basketball Association (NBA) championship ring.

While locals likely journeyed through the hall’s relic of basketball memories over the years, the museum recently reinvented itself with a $25 million renovation project. The refurbishments, which started in 2017, officially opened to the public in May 2021. The remodeled space welcomes a modernized facelift to the hall’s storied legacy.

Touring the Refurbished Hall of Fame

Historian for the Basketball Hall of Fame Matt Zeysing shared the hall’s renovation efforts created an entirely new space. “We renovated every square inch of this space,” said Zeysing.

Starting on the fourth floor, Zeysing presented the “High Above Center Court” exhibit. Resting right below the hall’s signature dome ceiling, Zeysing explained that the introductory area allows patrons an opportunity to view different basketball items, including high-fashion clothing from Walt Frazier’s closet.

Visitors also have an opportunity to play different minigames and measure up against the towering heights of NBA legends, like Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“We took very traditional museum artifacts and combined it with different interactive activities … it expands our space virtually because in the end, we’re physically limited by the room that we have,” said Zeysing. Like most areas throughout the hall, Zeysing shared that the exhibit offers entertainment options that will please older and younger audiences alike.

Traveling down to the next floor, visitors walk into the “1891 Gallery Presented by MassMutual Foundation.” Zeysing expressed that the gallery stands as a reflection of Springfield’s role in the invention of basketball.

“We wanted to impress upon people from outside New England and the Pioneer Valley that the reason the Hall of Fame is here is because the game was invented a mile and a half up the road,” said Zeysing. The gallery showcases the seldom relics remaining from the inventor James Naismith’s legacy, as well as timeline of basketball’s continual growth over the years.

“It covers the game from a time when [modern fans] wouldn’t recognize it to the time where it’s really starting to look more like today’s game,” said Zeysing.

The basketball historian stressed that the archived area captures the sport as it maneuvered through its developing stages, including the presence of basketball’s first superstar, George Mikan. “He influenced how basketball was played for the next 50 years,” said Zeysing.

The Hall of Fame also showcases how basketball’s history intersects alongside the social progress of the 20th and 21st century. An adjacent exhibit highlights the continued evolution of the sport, featuring the inclusion of women, the black community and disabled athletes over the years. The exhibit also features an interactive space crafted by the NBA Players Association, which educates patrons on NBA stars advocation for social change.

“They wanted to partner with us to tell their story of how [the NBA Players Association] enriched the lives of players and let them take advantage of opportunities…each video has these meaningful moments depicting how players became involved in social movements,” said Zeysing. The videos’ subjects range from the civil rights movement of the 1960s to the Black Lives Matter movement of modern times.

On the other side of the third floor, Zeysing introduced the “Players, Coaches and James F. Goldstein SuperFan” galleries. Each section includes memorabilia from their distinctive subjects while also providing their perspective insights via video components. From Allen Iverson’s lethal crossover to Kareem Abdul-Jabaar’s pristine skyhook shot, Zeysing said the exhibit provides patrons an inside look at some of the sport’s critical figures.

The third floor also features the “Kobe: Basketball Life” exhibit based on the life of Kobe Bryant. While an exhibit centered around the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was previously in the works, Zeysing said the area took on a new meaning after his death in January 2020.

“He is one of those larger-than-life icons. When he passed away, it changed the tone of the exhibit,” said Zeysing. The exhibit includes highlights from Bryant’s career, a mural from one of his championship seasons and his Oscar-winning short film “Dear Basketball.” Zeysing shared that he worked alongside Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, to develop the space into a meaningful memorial.

“She wanted this space to be an opportunity to showcase a little more reverence [for Kobe],” said Zeysing.

After journeying through the “TNT Inside the NBA” interactive soundstage and the 2021 enshrinement exhibits on the second floor, Zeysing showcased the “Hall of Honor.” Draped with video screens, dramatic lighting and interactive video centers, the grand space honors over 400 athletes, coaches and essential figures enshrined in the hall.

“This is where all the Hall of Famers are recognized … it’s really where all Hall of Famers are going to go because it’s a digital experience. This experience can be endless if you want it to be,” said Zeysing. The video exhibits allow visitors to dive into each Hall of Famer’s career, charting their history, their respective peers and the footprint they left on basketball’s history. The “Hall of Honor” also includes a special section that spotlights talents being inducted in the Hall of Fame.

The Basketball Hall of Fame experience concludes at the signature “Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams.” Decked out with a brand-new LED screen that loops NBA highlights, the court welcomes older and younger visitors alike to shootaround on the different basketball hoops utilized over the years, according to Zeysing.

“There’s something special about coming to the Hall of Fame and shooting on the Court of Dreams…it’s a great family experience,” said Zeysing.

Along with the hall’s renovations, Zeysing explained that basketball center also cycles different artifacts in rotation. The hall boasts an endless array of artifacts, so much so that only a fraction of the memorabilia is on display at a time.

“We have about 900 artifacts on display, and we have over 40,000 in the collection…we try to rotate but it’s tough to display that many things,” said Zeysing. The ample array of items allows the hall offer new experiences on a consistent basis, according to Zeysing.

With the renovations, Zeysing aspires for the hall to welcome new visitors and returning faces alike. “We’re looking at all the things we can do to keep people interested,” said Zeysing.

Readers can learn more about the reinvented Basketball Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at https://www.hoophall.com/.